WildPose: A Long−Range 3D Wildlife Motion Capture System

Abstract

Understanding and monitoring wildlife behavior is crucial in ecology and biomechanics, yet challenging due to the limitations of current methods. To address this issue, we introduce WildPose, a novel long-range motion capture system specifically tailored for free-ranging wildlife observation. This system combines an electronically controllable zoom-lens camera with a LiDAR to capture both 2D videos and 3D point cloud data, thereby allowing researchers to observe high-fidelity animal morphometrics, behavior and interactions in a completely remote manner. Field trials conducted in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park have successfully demonstrated WildPose\textquoterights ability to quantify morphological features of different species, accurately track the 3D movements of a springbok herd over time, and observe the respiratory patterns of a distant lion. By facilitating non-intrusive, long-range 3D data collection, WildPose marks a significant complementary technique in ecological and biomechanical studies, offering new possibilities for conservation efforts and animal welfare, and enriching the prospects for interdisciplinary research.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.LiDARLight Detection and RangingFOVField of ViewCADComputer-Aided DesignROS2Robot Operating System 2FPSFrames Per SecondSAMSegment Anything ModelRANSACRandom Sample ConsensusIMUInertial Measurement UnitPSDPower Spectral DensityrRadius of circular pathdDistance between the system and tracked objectpSubject (person) positioncthe center of circular pathXWildPose system position